Marye's Heights

Marye's Heights is a ridge in Fredericksburg, Virginia which was the site of fierce fighting during the 1862 American Civil War battle of Fredericksburg. The heights were named for John L. Marye, the owner of the "Brompton" estate atop the ridge, and it also became home to the Sunken Road and the Innis House. During the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, James Longstreet's Confederate force fortified the ridge and held it against almost a dozen futile and costly Union assaults, which included the Irish Brigade's 69th New York Infantry Regiment's brave charge. The success of the Confederate States Army in holding the rock wall at Marye's Heights against repeated Union assaults led to General Ambrose Burnside's eventual decision to withdraw, ending the battle in a Confederate victory. Multiple portions of the wall still stand, with one portion being untouched since the 1860s and other portions being renovated during the 20th and 21st centuries. The bullet-hole-ridden Innis House still stands, as does Brompton, which serves as the residence of the President of Mary Washington University.